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J. R. Giddens
Justin Ray Giddens (born February 13, 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City), commonly referred to as J. R. Giddens, is a shooting guard with the Boston Celtics. Giddens was selected out of the University of New Mexico by the Boston Celtics with the 30th overall pick in the 2008 draft. He initially played for the University of Kansas, but transferred following his sophomore season, and was forced to sit out as a Redshirt junior due to NCAA transfer rules. Latest News *Doc Rivers impression of Giddens after watching his scrimmages: "His team lost a couple of games and you could see he didn't like it and he did something about it on the floor. What turns him on is winning. He hates losing. He hasn't handled losing very well and hasn't handled it probably in the right way at times. I kind of look at it as an asset more than a problem." "http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/06/27/taking_a_shot_with_jr", Boston.com, Julian Benbow, June 27, 2008. *Giddens on Giddens: "Nobody really knows me... I am what I am. I'm what God created me to be - J.R. I'm sensitive, caring, sharing, smooth, sexy, passionate, gorgeous, athletic, charismatic, charming, unpredictable, mysterious, misjudged and I have a dark side. I can be really defensive and closed off and frustrated." "http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/feb/10/mens-basketball-lobo-jr-giddens-seeks-rise-above-l", abqtrib.com, Jeremy Fowler. February 10, 2007. __TOC__ Background Statistics Born: Feb. 13, 1985 Height: 6 feet 5 inches ... Weight: 215 College: New Mexico Years pro: Rookie Acquired: Drafted No.30 by Boston in 2008 2008/2009 salary: $957,120 Signed through: 2009-2010, team options for next 2 seasons. Last year's numbers: 16.3 ppg, 3.1 apg, 8.8 rpg at New Mexico. Strengths Athleticism and defensive prowess. Weaknesses Judging from pre-season games, Giddens is erratic on defense and may have a bit of a temper since he stared at Bobby Simmons after Simmons gave a hard foul while Giddens was going for a lay-up. College Giddens accepted a scholarship offer from Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball from then head coach Roy Williams. After Williams left, Giddens was persuaded to stay by Williams' replacement Bill Self. often being criticized by the national media, and transferred to New Mexico Lobos men's basketball for a fresh start. After sitting out a year due to NCAA regulations, he was suspended indefinitely from the team in late February for not being a good teammate. who thought he could fight for minutes on the team right away. He was even mentioned as a possible replacement for restricted free agent Tony Allen. Giddens was already familiar with Leon Powe and Kendrick Perkins, who were his teammates at the 2003 McDonald's All-American Team Game. But on behalf of his agent Aaron Mintz, Giddens declined to work out at the Celtics' minicamp in early July, because he had not signed a contract yet. Stabbing incident On May 19, 2005, Giddens was stabbed in his right calf in a bar fight, requiring 30 stitches. Personal *Majored in University studies. *Cleared as a high jumper in high school. *His parents are Charles and Dianna, and he has two sisters, Breeanna and Portia. *Lists Steve Urkel and Mr. Rogers as his favorite television characters. *Has several tattoos, including his first initial "J" on his left tricep and his last initial "G" on his right tricep, and the Bible verse Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" - on his right shoulder. External links * J. R. Giddens Player Info @ DraftExpress.com * J. R. Giddens – New Mexico Player Bio * J. R. Giddens Draft 2008 Profile @ NBA.com * Trying to get past his past – The Boston Globe Sources Category:Celtics players Category:2008 players